This new strange error started showing up in my Apache Error Log

[darkus]

/bin/mail: invalid option -- t
Usage: mail [-iInv] [-s subject] [-c cc-addr] [-b bcc-addr] to-addr ...
[- sendmail-options ...]
mail [-iInNv] -f [name]
mail [-iInNv] [-u user]


That message keeps repetitivly appearing in my apache log, I can't figure out whats triggering it, and why in the apache log, is this a form of a new attack ? My apache has gone down twice in the last 2 days, so I don't think its a coincidence Any ideas?

 

[nobaloney]

In your apache error log? That sounds a bit off.

Which log specifically?

The error is pointing out that someone is calling mail with an invalid option. I don't think apache should be calling mail, but you can narrow it down quite a bit depending on which domain's error log has the error.

Jeff

 

[darkus]

Yea its very strange, its inside the /var/log/httpd/error_log

Im completly confused here...

I also found this in the log as well:

Allowed memory size of 25165824 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 40 bytes)
Allowed memory size of 25165824 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 40 bytes)


That was inbetween the literally hundreds of email call errors

 

[andyreed]

Allowed memory size of 25165824 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 40 bytes)

This error message means a Php application exceeded the default memory limit. To increase memory limit, edit this line in your php.ini file and restart Apache:
memory_limit = 16M (add the line if it is missing)